Local number portability (LNP) allows telephone service subscribers to retain their same directory numbers when switching between geographic locations and/or telecommunications service providers. Local number portability was mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Local number portability is made possible by a location routing number (LRN). When a subscriber's local service is moved to a new end office, the LRN associated with the ported-to end office is associated with the ported directory number in a number portability database. When a call is made to the ported directory number, the originating end office sends a query to a number portability database. The number portability database returns the LRN of the ported-to end office. The end office uses the LRN to route the call to the ported-to end office.
Number portability data is administered by a national number portability administration center (NPAC). The NPAC distributes number portability data to systems maintained by service providers, which are referred to as local service management systems (LSMSs). The local service management systems in turn populate the number portability databases maintained by each carrier.
As the number of ported directory numbers has increased, switching office processing functionality for launching number portability queries and processing number portability responses has become common. That is, switching offices typically include software implemented triggers to launch number portability queries and process the responses. Conventionally, these triggers have been used for number portability processing only. However, it may be desirable to use or leverage this processing capability for other purposes.
One purpose for which it may be desirable to utilize switching office number portability processing functionality is subscriber cutover. Cutover occurs when a subscriber's directory number is moved from one end office to another end office that has just been placed into service. For example, a service provider may determine that a new end office is needed when the processing capacity of an existing end office is close to being exceeded. Once a directory number is moved to a new end office, the network must provide some mechanism for routing calls to the cutover subscriber to the new end office.
One possible solution to this problem is to provision an LRN corresponding to the cutover end office in the number portability database. However, because the number portability database must be provisioned via the NPAC and local LSMSs for different service providers, there may be a time delay between the time that the subscriber's directory number is moved to the cutover end office and the time that the number portability database is populated. Another possible solution to this problem is to provision special cutover triggers in each switching office. However, this solution is undesirable as it would require expensive hardware and/or software upgrades to end offices.
Accordingly, in light of difficulties, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer program products for using an LRN based query and response mechanism to effect subscriber cutover.